Featuring dazzling costume designs, fabrics laced with jewels and captivating photographs, “Women Artists of the Ballets Russes: Designing The Legacy” is an exhibit exploring and highlighting women involved in the Ballets Russes ballet company.
Specifically, it captures work done by Bronislava Nijinska — who was the company’s only female choreographer — and Russian avant-garde artist Natalia Goncharova. It also boasts work by costume designers Sonia Delaunay and Alexandra Exter, who collaborated with Nijinska to create innovative costume designs and sets but never worked directly with the company. This exhibition explores the legacy of these women and their influence on ballet in the U.S. and the company itself.
The Ballets Russes was a Russian ballet company, although they never performed in Russia, instead choosing to perform on the stages of Europe and North and South America. Their company focused on the idea of “Gesamtkunstwerk,” or total artwork. This translated into their choreography, costumes, sets, music and storylines all receiving equal attention and importance creating a unified whole.
Upon entering the exhibit, striking visuals swim into view with colorful, bedazzled fabrics that seem almost alien to what is seen in ballet today. The costumes are layered, complicated and heavy looking, which makes one wonder how they were able to dance in such extravagant outfits. A beautiful lone costume captures all attention drawing viewers in; “Cloak for Queen of Shemakhan in Le Coq d’Or (The Golden Cockerel), 1937” is a huge pink and turquoise cloak, which looks like something royalty would wear, complete with alluring beading and gold lamé. The craftsmanship on this cloak and others like it is truly incredible and demonstrates how dedicated these women were to the arts and to their craft.
The walls display sketches and photographs of costume designs, sets, dancers and programs. Gontcharova’s costume sketches often incorporated vivid colors and simple techniques with grand effects. “Costume Sketch for a Squid in Sadko 1916” shows a dancer wearing a squid-esque costume with flowing green hair, blue leggings and, most interestingly, silver foil was applied to parts of the costume making the draping fabric pop out on the already bold colors. Techniques like this likely made her designs stand out and easier to translate into physical costume form.
Photographs lining the walls capture the essence of these women and their work; they show off the striking costumes in full form and the designers, who look just as extravagant. Some photos are playful and depict the designers and dancers striking silly poses, while others capture the true craft and beauty these women were able to create. Fully made-up dancers dance on pointe in elaborate costumes and makeup — some wear crowns, others headdresses — but all perform in truly professional fashion. All of these women had a vision, something more they wanted to show and bring to the world. They worked together to bring this to fruition, and the remarkable results inspire generations.
This exhibit offers a unique and beautiful look into the early ballet industry and the women who influenced it. “Women Artists of the Ballet Russes: Designing The Legacy” is on display at the McNay Art Museum from Oct. 12, to Jan. 12, 2025.
The McNay Art Museum is located at 6000 N New Braunfels Ave. UTSA students are offered free entry, while normal ticket prices vary from $10 to $20, and general admission is free every Thursday night from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.
